Song Review:: TVXQ!: Zone- Dearest {Pre-Release} {Japanese}

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  •  Release date: 2024 November 06
  • Album tracklist:
    • Disc 1: Introduction -Eternal Echoes-, T.R.H.M, On My Radar, Party Like Madonna, Sweet Surrender, Parfum, Fresh, I'm sorry I couldn't express it well, Live Your Life, It's True It's Here, Damn Good, Ark, Dearest
    • Disc 2: UTSUROI, The Reflex, PARALLEL PARALLEL, No Sympathy, Lime & Lemon, Sentimental Mood, Forever Love - ZONE Ver.
  • Album runtime: 70 minutes

 TVXQ! is feeding their fans well leading up to this album drop. Of course, when you have a two disc album, you have the room to have two pre-releases and not have to worry about the fans being bored because they've already heard everything. First one was mid-energy, but powerful, so I'm curious about what kind of song this one is.

Orchestral and a piano. We're apparently going for the emotions this time. There's definitely percussion of some sort, but I'm not entirely sure that it's necessarily all drums. The way the music swells, then dies, then builds back up for a glorious finale is incredible. Whoever the producer(s) is, they did an amazing job with crafting and audience manipulation. And they followed the rule of "If you want something to seem louder, have it quiet right before." It's very well crafted, though not particularly surprising.

I love it when vocalists do what vocalists do best. Give me a lovely, sappy ballad and I'll be a happy camper, especially when the ballad is attached to voices like they have. Do they have stronger songs in this genre? Probably, but I also dearly, dearly love the maturity in their voices, something that earlier songs might not have. They don't belt quite as much as I'd like from them, so it's not a song that fully shows off capabilities, but it's still lovely all the same.

Old people. One of my weaknesses. This music video is going to make me cry, isn't it? Fine. Okay. I might be able to not cry if I just settle into full analysis mode.

Nope. I'm not going to make it through this without sobbing. First line almost took me out. 

It's a lovely music video. The costumes are beautiful. The set is incredible. And now I miss my grandfather so much I can't breathe.


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